Carpenter&#39;s square



Jy 3l, E923. 11463665 c. A. wALTERs CARPENTERS SQUARE Filed April 20. 1921 2 Smeets-Sheet 1 -ssmg am MO'I'IV HSUS Juy 3l, 1923.

C. A. WALTERS CARPENTERS SQUARE Filed April 20. 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 TOP TOP CUT .L N`. m.

reame@ .any ai, reas.

' stares CHARLES A. WALTERS, F MARION, IOWA.

CARPENTERS SQUARE.

Application led April 20,

i ToaZZ whom t may cof/wem:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. WALTERs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Marion, in the county of Linn and State of Iowa, have invented certain newand usefuh Improvements in Carpenters Squares; and I do hereby declare the following to be a. full, clear, and exact description-of the 1nvention, such -as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

- a steel square for carpenters use, whereby the ordinary workman, without' technical training, may perform all the framing operations in the structure of a building, easlly and rapidly, and without needing to refer to other tables or data.

The novel mechanical features of the square are found mainly on the face thereof, and relate principally to the framing of roof structures. The tables, directions, and other data on the back of the square relate to other parts of a building, as well as the roof.

The invention is fully disclosed in the description and claims following, reference b eing had to the accompanying drawings, 1n which F ig. 1 is a View of the face of the square, but with considerable data omitted, for the sake of clearness of illustration. Fig. 2, is an enlarged View, showing the corner of the square, and full details within that are-a. Fig. 3 shows the opposite end of the blade, with full details. Fig. 4 is a view of the back of the square, but `illustrating a table for braces (even numbers only), to avoid excessive crowding of figures. Fig. 5 shows the corner of an enlarged square (fulln sized), and a fragment of the end of the tongue, with a complete brace-table indicated.

The square comprises the usual 24-inch body or blade A, and the l-inch tongue B. The blade is preferably Vtwo inches wide as shown in Fig. 2, and the tongue 1% inch wide, this -being the finished thickness of practically all so-called 2-inch lumber. The graduations-at the edges do not differ essentially from those in general use.

On the face of the blade, which is the side shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, is stamped all the information that a carpenter needs in framing a roof. It is to be understood that( a common rafter is a long one, reac `ing from the plate to the ridge; a hip or 1921. serial No. 463,016.l valley rafter is one disposed diagonally thereto, and a jack rafter is one extending from the plate to the hip rafter.

The pitch and form of the roof being of course shown in the archtects plans, the

`builder, in framing the roof, must determine the following facts or dimensions:

The correct length and shape of every rafter in the roof. The accurate plotting of the angles for all the various cuts. The span and pitch of the roof being already 'ascertained from the architects plans, all this data may be determined from the square itself.

In a vertical row down the blade is disposed a series of enclosing figures C, quite similar in outline to a nut, and therefore called nut-shells. The points of these enclosing figures coincide with inch-marks on the square.` In a lune at this end of each enclosing figure is stamped in frac-tional forni the pitch corresponding to a line drawn from its respective inch-mark, at the edge of the square, to the 12-inch mark at the edge of the tongue. As roof-pitches vary indefinitely, sixteen of such pitches are indicated in this manner, varying by one inch in/tervals of rise from 1, to pitch. Inthe nilain body of the enclosing figure, and disposed vertically, are theeletters A,-B, C, D, E and F. To'the left of these letters, are the index letters S S (sheathing and shingles, as fully explained hereafter), set lo be read by turnngthe blade horizontally. In handling the square a workman 'naturally grasps the blade with 'his right hand, and holds itwith the tongue uppermost.` The most of the data in the enclosing figures is accordingly stamped tobe read in this convenient manner.

The numbers to the right of the index letters A and B denote decimally, for any designated pitch, the length'in inches of common, and of hip and valley rafters, respectively. The total length of the rafter is accordingly determined mathematically in feet (instead. of by stepping itv offl by the square) by multiplying thisl number, in any case, by the run of the roof in feet, and dividing by 12. That the workmanneed never err in this manner, the rule is printed at length directly under the enclosing figures.

The length of the first, that is to say, the shortest, jack rafter, to .be set on 16 inch centers, is shown at the right of the index letter C. If set 24 inches on centers, the

same appears at t-he right of the index letter l). rl`his spacing of rafters is almost universal. The length of the first jack rafter being ascertained, the lengths of succeeding ones is found b-y merely adding this sum successively, or multiplying, as set forth specifically on the blade of the square, in the last line. The angle lfor the side-cut of these jack rafters is determined by the numbers at the right of the index letters E, as specified on the blade,"'third line. The angle for the side cut of hip or valley rafters is determined by the numbers at the right of I". For sheathing and shingles in gables, and the like, the numbers at the right of S S are taken, according to the respective pitch, and as specified in' the fourth line onthe b-lade. This means that the-workman is to lay the square (i pitch, for example) on the edge of the rafter, with 9 of the tongue and l0 of the blade at the rafter corner, and cut on the line scratched at 10, for the correct side cu-t of a j ack rafter.

lt is to be noted that none of the lengths include the projection or overhang for eaves and cornice. The length measured from the extreme upper end of the rafter to a line projected vertically vfrom the outside of the plate -is the correct length. This is clearly illustrated by the diagram at the end of the blade, and the accompanying explanation. as a perpetual reminder, since nothing is more common than for rafters to be laid out Without squaring up the heel, and in co-nsequence it does not fit accurate-ly on the plate, and gaps at the ridge. The diagramy also -illustrates by, dotted lines the actual, geometrical rise'of a roof, which is sometimes confused in the workmans mind with its extreme altitude.

lt will be evident that by this construction, after the rule printed on the blade has been familiarized, every figure for every length and angle, is directly under the workmans eye as he places his square 'on the timber according to the designated pitch, and is always oo-ordinated with the pitch. Instead of hunting over the length and breadth of the blade and tongue for scattered figures, he finds them all in a nutshell. j

On the back of the square is stamped a simplified board and timber measure; a rule for computing the number of shingles for a roof, and a table for the cutting of braces.

, In the board, and timber measure, it Will be understood that the numbers in the second column denote inches in cross-section, the inch marks on the lsquare indicate feet, and the numbers belo-W the inch marks represent the product or` measure in square feet and This is stamped on the sepiare,7

inches. ln the brace table on the blade the upper numbers between the horizontal lines denote the lengths of the sides of the triangle, and the lower numbers, the hypothenuse, which is the length of the brace, expressed in feet, inches and decimals thereof. Inv the corner is a diagram D to illustrate the cutting of braces to correspond With the table below. This table extends through shows in feet, inches and decimals of an inch the exact extreme length of braces, at 4:5 degree angles for sides ranging from 15 feet toll feet, at 3-inch intervals. In operating with this side of the square uppermost, the Workman naturally holds the square by the tongue, and to render the reading of the data convenient, it is all disposed so as to be read With the square in this position.

Having thus described my invention, I claim: t

1. A carpenters square having stamped thereon a row of enclosing figures C, pointed at ono end, Whose points coincide with the inch-marks on the square, a different roofpitch being inscribed in each figure, and numerals With indexes to denote corresponding rafter-lengths and various roo measurements and angle cuts.

2. A carpenters square stamped With a row of outline figures )ointed at inch-marks on the square, a di erent roof-pitch inscribed in each, adjacent numerals to denote the appropriate lengths of common, hip and valley, and jack rafters, placement of the square for side-cuts of hip, valley and jack rafters, and shingles and sheathing in gables, index characters adjacent to said several numeral designations, and explanatory mat-A ter on another member of the square explaining the numerical data by reference to said' index characters.

\.3. A carpenters square with a vertically disposed roWof outline figures stamped on the blade, with points at the inch marks, va-

rying roof-pitches inscribedltherein near said points, adjacent numerical data to denote rafter-length With relation to said pitches, and the' placement of the square for rafter side-cuts, index characters to distinguish such data, and explanatory descriptive matter inscribed on the blade, all of the tongue erect and the blade uppermost.

ln testimony ,whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

CHARLES A. VVALTERS.

Witnesses:

l?. W. ARMSTRONG, D. L. Woon.

. nearly the whole length of the tongue, and

vsaid matter being disposed to be read With 

